600 students learn about outdoor life

A day in the woods for some local elementary students was not just a chance to be in the great outdoors but also a learning opportunity.

The Wayne National Forest celebrated National Public Lands Day by having students from local elementary schools come out and learn about things like recycling, local history, water conservation, Native Americans, wild land fires, rare plants, tree identification, why leaves change color in the fall, and fish identification. They even got to meet, and high five, Smokey Bear and Woodsy Owl.

Some 600 students from Dawson-Bryant, Chesapeake, Symmes Valley and Rock Hill elementary schools attended the event.

Heather Bowen, a Chesapeake Elementary fifth-grade science teacher, said the WNF invites them out every year and the students really enjoy it.

“They teach us about hiking, the history of the area, about the importance of leaving the area like you found it,” she said. “It’s great because they get out and learn about some of the history, the culture and the science the area has to offer.”

Bowen said the students were thrilled to be outdoors.

“One of my students said this is the best day of the school year,” she said. “They are very excited.”

Gary Chancey, a WNF public affairs officer, said the unique thing this year was that the event was celebrated throughout the region as part of Appalachian Ohio Lands Day in partnership with Rural Action Ohio Stream Restore Corps, out of Athens, and with the help of AmeriCorp volunteers.

“That gave us a little additional capacity to be able to manage something on this scale,” he said. He said it took about 60 volunteers to staff the 20 stations throughout the park.

WNF partnered with Southern Wayne Advocacy Council to put on events in Lawrence County.

“This is an outdoor classroom,” he said. “You look at the kids, they are normally inside a classroom. Many of these youths have probably never been out here, even though it is in their backyards.”

He said he hopes they come away with a greater appreciation for public lands and feel a connection to the several thousands of acres they can use at their leisure.

“We have Lake Vesuvius, we have hiking trails, you can come out and fish or camp,” Chancey said. “There is so much they can do.”

One of the stops is the Vesuvius Iron Furnace that gives the nearby lake its name. They also learn about Nannie Kelly Wright, who was possibly the only American woman to be an ironmaster and who was at one time was only beaten out by England’s Queen Victoria as the richest woman in the world. Kay Rader portrayed Wright.

Rock Hill Elementary fourth-grader Auric Boreland said he enjoyed learning.

“There was a lot of good information I didn’t know and I’m having fun,” he said. “My favorite part is probably hearing the story of Nannie Kelly. I liked it because it was information from way long ago I didn’t even know. It just taught me a lot of information.”

Penny Long, a fourth-grade teacher at Rock Hill Elementary, was escorting some 20 math and science students as they met with Smokey Bear and Woodsy Owl. She said this

“They are loving it so far,” she said. “They really enjoyed Nannie Kelly Wright, she was awesome. And they are really having a good time with Smokey. And they have really enjoyed being outside and being in nature for the day.”